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      Distant Voices, Still Lives

      PG-13 Released Sep 11, 1988 1 hr. 24 min. Drama List
      80% 41 Reviews Tomatometer 82% 500+ Ratings Audience Score Siblings Maisie (Lorraine Ashbourne) and Tony (Dean Williams), along with their mother (Freda Dowie), gather for their sister Eileen's (Angela Walsh) wedding. It is a joyous occasion, but through flashbacks it becomes clear that the family was not always happy. Their father (Pete Postlethwaite) was physically abusive to his wife, and left the children emotionally traumatized. As a result, the children have grown into unhappy adults, looking for love they didn't receive when they were young. Read More Read Less

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      Distant Voices, Still Lives

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      Distant Voices, Still Lives

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      Critics Consensus

      Bracingly original and beautifully composed, Distant Voices, Still Lives is an invigorating period drama that finds director Terence Davies in peak form.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member One of my favorite films ever Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/15/23 Full Review isla s This is a somewhat nostalgic film about a family living in England, living through WWII and how they use music to lift their spirits. There is a sort of communal uplifting sense to it (it's not uplifting in itself but it shows people coming together to sing, which brings them together metaphorically), although it doesn't shy away from depicting grittier moments when they were made to rush for the air raid shelter as shrapnel falls all over. The characters are fairly likeable, with the exception of the unnamed patriarch, played by Pete Postlethwaite. While the film certainly features a fair bit of singing, to lift the moods of those depicted, among other things, it's true that there are scenes not featuring any singing as well. There is a definite sentimentality present but I liked that it's not what I'd regard artificially/unnecessarily cheesy. It very much toes the 'stiff upper lip' line. I thought it was quite telling how much was said between characters during scenes set in a local pub after a family occasion has taken place. It is perhaps a bit old fashioned - well, it's a period drama after all. It's not what I'd think of as especially memorable or great but it's certainly a good watch never the less, a real 'British film' as it were, so I'd recommend it on that basis. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Arty but adds nothing to the cinematic cannon. Except a bunch of scousers singing old wartime songs in a pub endlessly. Absolute pretension, boring drama. Don't watch, it's dull. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review john k Extremely depression type of movie, a very hard watch Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review William L A visionary piece of work and an emotional roller coaster told through a jagged narrative, Distant Voices, Still Lives strings together moments ranging from jubilation to unmediated anger to create a portrait of a working-class family in the mid-20th century, unifying them through a focus on song. The film drops the viewer in the deep end right off the bat, depicting a complex father figure in his early love, eventual abuse, inevitable death, and final recollections of his actions by others; the film constantly instills some strong emotional response to a particular character, only to undercut it later, demonstrating a dedication to character complexity and a reluctance to establish objectively 'good' or 'evil' characters. Despite jumping around between time periods seemingly randomly, the film never seems confusing, always effectively establishing its period and the relevance of a scene's contents in context. There is a somewhat distressing, occasionally uplifting range of tones, combining the positive and negative aspects of domestic life and confronting the dangerous Frank Capra treatment of a solely positive treatment of nostalgia. (4.5/5) Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/08/20 Full Review Audience Member A powerful and truly inspired piece of film-making 💘 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (41) Critics Reviews
      Peter Bradshaw Guardian For all the formal technique and the theatrically controlled tableaux, the drama is vividly present and alive. Rated: 5/5 Aug 30, 2018 Full Review Danny King Village Voice Enthralling... Aug 28, 2018 Full Review Richard Brody New Yorker With an unfailing eye for place, décor, costume, and gesture, the director glides his camera through tangles of memories to evoke joys and horrors with a similar sense of wonder. Sep 22, 2014 Full Review Michael Bronski Gay Community News (Boston) A beautiful feat... this marvelous work blends memory, music and meticulous detail in what are actually two very closely related films. Aug 25, 2022 Full Review Peter Bowen OutWeek A terribly beautiful film... [that] makes one at times almost forget the simultaneously banal and and violent lives which the film remembers. May 20, 2020 Full Review Gabriel Ricard Cultured Vultures Strange and stunning for a variety of reasons, Terence Davies created a masterpiece right out of the gate with his 1988 classic Distant Voices, Still Lives. Rated: 8/10 Oct 30, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Siblings Maisie (Lorraine Ashbourne) and Tony (Dean Williams), along with their mother (Freda Dowie), gather for their sister Eileen's (Angela Walsh) wedding. It is a joyous occasion, but through flashbacks it becomes clear that the family was not always happy. Their father (Pete Postlethwaite) was physically abusive to his wife, and left the children emotionally traumatized. As a result, the children have grown into unhappy adults, looking for love they didn't receive when they were young.
      Director
      Terence Davies
      Screenwriter
      Terence Davies
      Distributor
      Avenue
      Production Co
      British Film Institute, Channel Four Films
      Rating
      PG-13
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Sep 11, 1988, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 24, 2019
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $10.0K
      Sound Mix
      Dolby, Surround
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